Welcoming Spring, Appreciating the Little Things
Out & About in Greater Tulsa By EMILY RAMSEY
Managing Editor
FARMERS MARKET SEASON: The Tulsa Farmers’ Market opens for its season on April 1 along Cherry Street. Hours are 7 a.m.-11 every Saturday through Oct. 21.
EMILY RAMSEY for GTR Newspapers
Every so often, especially the older I get, I make a point to stop and drink in the little pleasures of daily life.
I was talking with a friend the other day about the sad truth that, regardless of what we have or where we live, we all adapt and get comfortable. And, oftentimes, stop noticing what is around us.
I remember when I first moved into downtown Tulsa how excited I was to be able to walk from my home into downtown for breakfast or to walk to Riverside Drive and take a stroll along the Arkansas River. I drank up the accessibility, the activity, the architecture and the natural beauty.
Now, almost five years later, I am fortunate if I make it to the River Parks trails twice a week. My morning walks into downtown have equally dwindled away.
So that is included in my list of pleasures in need of revisiting.
With the re-emergence of spring, another practice to be revived will be welcoming the dawn with a cup of coffee on my patio.
I am anticipating my first walk along 15th Street on opening day of the Tulsa Farmers Market on April 1 and a bright bouquet of flowers to brighten my living room.
Some of my other favorite places around town include the glass study cubes at Central Library overlooking downtown Tulsa, the Tulsa Botanic Garden, the gardens at Philbrook Museum of Art, and an outdoor seat along Cherry Street paired with a margarita.
The other day, I watched two geese stop traffic along Memorial Drive near 71st Street. I did not hear one car horn; it was simply a moment of humane, yet not required, courtesy extended to animals. That made my day and reminded me to slow down.
Even in our harried world, there still exists time to stop for the little creatures.
My discussion with Bill Leighty, executive director of Smart Growth Tulsa, (See article at ews.com or on the front page of the Midtown Monitor.) reminded me that while there is much that we want Tulsa to become in the years ahead, it is equally important to enjoy Tulsa for what it is right now, which is pretty spectacular, especially when we consider how far we’ve come.
That same principle applies regardless of where a person lives. Because, ultimately, a place doesn’t make us; we make the place.
Updated 04-05-2017
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